Quality of life comparison
If you lived in United Arab Emirates instead of Canada, you would:
Health
live 1.0 years longer
In Canada, the average life expectancy is 82 years (80 years for men, 84 years for women) as of 2024. In United Arab Emirates, that number is 83 years (82 years for men, 84 years for women) as of 2024.
be 81.9% less likely to die by suicide
Canada has a suicide rate of 9.4 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In United Arab Emirates, it is 1.7 per 100,000 as of 2021.
be 21.7% more likely to be obese
In Canada, 26.0% of adults are obese as of 2024. In United Arab Emirates, that number is 31.6% of people as of 2024.
see 51.3% less spent on your healthcare
Canada spends $7,646 per person on healthcare as of 2024 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). United Arab Emirates spends $3,727 as of 2023.
Economy
be 68.6% less likely to be unemployed
In Canada, 6.9% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In United Arab Emirates, that number is 2.2% as of 2025.
Life
be 75.0% less likely to die during childbirth
In Canada, approximately 12.0 women die from pregnancy or childbirth per 100,000 live births as of 2023. In United Arab Emirates, 3.0 women do as of 2023.
be 19.1% less likely to die during infancy
In Canada, approximately 4.7 children (per 1,000 live births) die before they reach the age of one as of 2024. In United Arab Emirates, on the other hand, 3.8 children do as of 2024.
have 10.3% more children
In Canada, there are approximately 8.9 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In United Arab Emirates, there are 9.8 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.
Expenditures
spend 19.6% less on education
Canada spends 4.8% of its total GDP on education as of 2022. United Arab Emirates spends 3.9% of total GDP on education as of 2021.
spend 56.1% less on healthcare
Canada spends 11.3% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2024. In United Arab Emirates, that number is 5.0% of GDP as of 2023.
Geography
see 99.3% less coastline
Canada has a total of 202,080 km of coastline. In United Arab Emirates, that number is 1,318 km.
Safety
be 65.2% less likely to be murdered
Canada has a homicide rate of 2.0 per 100,000 people as of 2023. In United Arab Emirates, that number is 0.7 per 100,000 as of 2022.
be 25.5% more likely to die in a road accident
In Canada, road accidents kill 4.7 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In United Arab Emirates, they kill 5.9 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
live with 405.9 times more strain on fresh water
Canada withdraws 4% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. United Arab Emirates withdraws 1510% as of 2022.
Environment
be 8.8 times more likely to die from air pollution
In Canada, air pollution causes 8.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In United Arab Emirates, it causes 70.0 as of 2019.
emit 30.3% more CO2
Canada emits 14.0 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. United Arab Emirates emits 18.3 tonnes as of 2024.
Sources: World Bank (2021–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2019–2021), World Health Organization (2024), The World Factbook. How we calculate this
Compare further: Canada vs. United Arab Emirates
United Arab Emirates: At a glance
How big is United Arab Emirates compared to Canada? See an in-depth size comparison.